Rome with kids

When you are visiting a city for the first time it can be very confusing to organize an affordable transport from the airport.

Fiumicino airport in Rome is easily connected to the city centre by a train that departs every 20 minutes.

However, many low-cost airlines are landing to the Ciampino airport and the connection with the city centre was very tricky.

From now you have Rome public transport company ATAC that will provide a bus line that will connect Ciampino Airport to the Laurentina Metro Station. And it will cost only 1.50€pp!!

The tickets can be purchased inside Ciampino Airport at the Tourist Info Point (PIT). Also, for those who already bought the Roma Pass on-line, they can use it for this journey instead of buying a new bus ticket.

The line that will bring you to Laurentina Metro station is n°720 and you can find it at the bus stop n°4 in front of the Ciampino Metro Station.

The bus will be running every 20 minutes from 5.30am to 11.30pm.

Once you get to the city center and you don’t know where to go, what to see first, whether to take a tour or not, just let us know and we will be happy to give you our best tips and offers 🙂

There are some things in Rome that are best done young. See the eternal city through fresh eyes with our selection of the top family-fun activites in Rome and get ready to have some fun!

Watch your kids perk up with these lively activities:

You can rent boats, bicycles, segways and rollerblades at the Villa Borghese gardens and whizz around its beautiful green paths. For an overview of the park’s main sights hop on the miniature train which runs everyday from 10:30 till sunset. While you’re in Villa Borghese, head to Bioparco. The zoo has 222 different species and a special butterfly greenhouse until July.

Beginning in April, Rainbow Magicland theme park, with its 35 rides and 3 theatres, is a full day of fun for the family. Located 45 minutes drive from the center of Rome, it is also accessible by train and shuttle bus.

If your kids crave a challenge, head to the ropes courses at EurPark Adventure, a short walk from the Palasport metro. A dozen courses are rated according to difficulty, with multi-lingual instructors on hand to review safety procedures. Or try your hand with a bow and arrow.Parco Carlo Ciocci, Piazza Pakistan. Open Mon-Sun, 10am-8pm. eurpark.it

Hop on, Hop off! Did you know Rome is built on 7 hills? For anyone carrying a child in a carrier or traveling with a preschooler who refuses to sit in the stroller but can’t walk for more than a couple hours, I highly recommend seeing the main sights of Rome from the top of the Hop On Hop Off red bus #110. Catch it at Termini Station where it begins so that you get a good seat, and don’t hop off. Just ride the whole loop (which takes a couple of hours) and listen to the narration on the provided headphones.

Let the kids explore, and give them a theme. If they’re little, have them find fountains or look out for the letters SPQR (Senatus Populusque Romanus, which means The Senate and the People of Rome in Latin) found all over the city. If they’re a little older have them try to find family crests and symbols which are carved around Rome – they’ll find lions, dragons, bees, stars, balls, trees, and eagles to name a few.

Piazzas aka squares. Kids can run around in car-free Italian piazzas and get a history lesson at the same time. In don’t miss Piazza Navona, with its gorgeous fountains and unusual shape, and the huge Piazza del Popolo.

Learning fun:

A fun and educational alternative to the long museum queues, Time Elevator is a multi-sensory cinema experience, complete with moving seats, flight simulators, wind and rain machines and 3D glasses. The “time machine” will take you and your little one back to ancient Rome time for a half hour of adventure and antiquity, or to the age of dinosaurs, to learn about the making of mankind.

Via dei Santi Apostoli, 20; everyday from 10.30am – 7.30pm time-elevator.itVigamus is a museum dedicated entirely to video games. Along with a history of gaming, the museum offers the chance to play retro arcade games and experience a virtual reality in 3D.Via Sabotino, 4; Tue – Sun 10am to 8pm; vigamus.com

Just for children, Explora is a totally interactive museum near Piazza del Popolo where young visitors can learn about history, society and science.Via Flaminia, 80/86; Tues – Sun 10am – 5pm

Best city workshops: Cinecittà offers workshops and daily guided tours for families, revealing cinema secrets from the most famous of Italian film studios.Via Tuscolana, 1055; every day (except Tues) cinecittasimostra.itDon’t just go see art in Rome – make it! The Casina di Raffaello in the Villa Borghese is a museum dedicated to kids between the ages of 3 and 10 every weekend using workshops, activities, and a large game room.Villa Borghese; Tue-Fri, 10am-6pm; Sat-Sun 10am-7pm casinadiraffaello.itEver wondered what it would be like to be a gladiator for the day? At Rome’s only Gladiator School, just off the ancient Appian Way, you can take part in a two-hour lesson and train to become a true little warrior.Via Appia Antica 18, prices vary, reservation required. gruppostoricoromano.it